Tips on How to Buy and Shop for Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while touring the country. Since Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art kind at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. Presuming that the objective is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist replica, the concern emerges on how does one tell apart the real thing from the phonies?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece only to find out later on that it isn't really genuine or even made in Canada. If one is lucky enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful art work, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would have to be more cautious elsewhere in Canada, specifically in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The most safe places to shop for Inuit sculptures to guarantee credibility are always the reliable galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide discovered in hotels.
Reputable Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted completely to Inuit art. These galleries will typically be found in the downtown tourist locations of major cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art however none of the other usual tourist mementos such as tee shirts or postcards . These galleries will have just genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle fakes or imitations . Just to be even much safer, ensure that the piece you are interested in comes with a Canadian government Igloo tag licensing that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed. So understand that an unsigned piece may still be certainly authentic.
Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have websites so you might shop and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now reputable online galleries that also focus on genuine Inuit art. Due to the fact that of lower overheads, these online galleries are a good choice for buying Inuit art considering that straight from the source the costs are typically lower than those at street retail galleries. Obviously, like any other shopping on the internet, one must take care so when dealing with an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also include the main Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.
Some traveler stores do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy mementos in order to cater to all types of tourists. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason needs to have some weight or mass to it. An authentic Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and nothing else on the shop racks will look precisely like it.
Where it ends up being harder to figure out credibility are with the reproductions that are also made from stone. This can be a real gray area to those not familiar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and might even have some type of tag indicating that it was handmade however if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are more than likely not authentic. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will have information on the artist, location where it was made and the year it was sculpted. Move on if the Igloo tag is not offered. The genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are generally kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) rack within the store.
Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful art work, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a local northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Credible Inuit art galleries are likewise listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted totally to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.